It’s World Breastfeeding Week. This year the focus is on how and why we must promote, protect and support breastfeeding.
With that in mind, I’d like to share the stories of three Nigerian mothers – Victoria, Hazidah and Isabella. In different ways and for different reasons, they show promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding is critical for women and babies.
Victoria
Victoria’s story shows that family support is crucial to the exclusive breastfeeding journey. With young, inexperienced mothers, more care is needed, along with education and reassurance.
“I was 26 years old when I had my first baby, I knew all about exclusive breastfeeding and I was really enthusiastic to follow through.
“It was not easy at first but my mother-in-law was actively involved in my ante-natal classes with the midwives at my health center and learned the importance of support for mothers, especially new ones.
“She helped me with household activities and made sure I had enough food to eat so I could feed my baby adequately. With the rest and nutrition I got I was able to produce enough milk for my baby and did exclusive breastfeeding for six months.”
Hadizah
Talking to Hadizah we came across an issue a lot of women face: a low supply of breastmilk. It led to her feeling like a failure. Mothers’ fear their baby is not feeding well is a driving force for mixed feeding.
“When I had my baby, I found it hard to produce milk, the nurse attending to me didn’t give support so I ended up really scared and I felt like a failure for not being able to provide for my baby.
“Luckily the health facility offered breastfeeding consultation with their pediatrician. I was told various ways to increase milk flow like; massaging the breasts, sucking on the nipples, warm compresses, and eating foods like vegetables, millet, tiger nuts and other nuts.
“With the information I got I was able to produce enough milk to feed my baby.”
Isabella
Isabella’s story shows that organisations and employers have an important role to play in all children getting exclusively breastfed for the first six months.
“I had my first child while working in an organisation where I only got two weeks' maternity leave. I did not have time to take care of myself and my baby. I had a breakdown, and had to quit work because of the stress.
“The difference was clear when I had my second child. I was in an organisation where I was given six months’ leave and flexible working hours after. I had enough time to exclusively breastfeed my baby and find a nanny. My organisation also had a crèche and I was able to continue taking care of my baby when I resumed.”
Why exclusive breastfeeding?
Exclusive breastfeeding is giving your baby only breastmilk from birth for the first six months of life. Water, tea and other liquids or foods are not given.
Breastmilk equips newborns with the complete nutrients needed for proper development and gives them immunity against certain sicknesses. Mixed feeding during the first six months can damage the baby’s stomach by changing the bacteria make-up of the baby’s gut and make the mother produce less milk due to less suckling.
Proper education of mothers and their caregivers on the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding can encourage its practice. Strategic behaviour change communication at the community levels targeting the informal sector – like the market women’s association – can be a game changer.
The benefits
Breast milk improves immunity to withstand diseases and protects a baby against certain illness, it contains white blood cells and antibodies from the mother which helps to fight infections. It lowers your baby’s risk of having asthma or allergies and of diarrhoea, pneumonia, ear infection and other sicknesses.
Exclusive breastfeeding saves money on baby formula and hospital visits. And it enhances children's growth and development.
The point of World Breastfeeding Week
World Breastfeeding Week is a global campaign to raise awareness of why breastfeeding matters and the challenges mums face, and to galvanise action.
Its objectives are:
- Inform people about their roles in strengthening the warm chain of support for breastfeeding. Information we need to arm ourselves with includes:
- the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding
- how to overcome the challenges like low breast milk supply, nipple pain and injury
- proper latching of babies
- how to know when a baby is hungry
- how to properly store breastmilk
- how to properly administer breastmilk.
- Anchor breastfeeding as part of good nutrition, food security, and reduction of inequalities.
- Engage with individuals and organisations along the warm chain of support for breastfeeding.
- Galvanise action to strengthen the capacity of actors and systems for transformational change.
Call to Action
For breastfeeding to be successful, a mother needs a supportive environment.
- Save the Children strengthens peer support networks and raises awareness of breastfeeding among partners, relatives, health workers, and the entire community.
- The Government should protect, promote and support breastfeeding by enforcing the World Health Organization’s International Code of Marketing Breast Milk Substitutes.
- All nutrition stakeholders should all work together to ensure formula milk companies do not inappropriately market their products.
- Employers should encourage exclusive breastfeeding by having corporate policies that support it, provide a conducive area for breastfeeding activities, and prioritize maternal and paternal rights.
- Breastfeeding can suffer dramatically in an emergency. We need to set up Mother and Baby Areas to ensure that mothers in refugee camps can receive advice, encouragement, and counseling on infant feeding practices
- The general public should share awareness about exclusive breastfeeding, be respectful to breastfeeding mothers in public, and support breastfeeding mothers in our households.
When it comes to promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding, we all have a role and responsibility. Save the Children International calls on government at all levels, public health experts, chief executives, managers, captains of industry, workplaces, community gatekeepers and families to promote, protect, support and sustain breastfeeding-friendly environments for mothers and babies.
